


Fandot Creativity Night 8

by timeladyleo



Series: Fandot Creativity [5]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Fandot Creativity, Multi, Non-Binary Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 08:17:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4093699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeladyleo/pseuds/timeladyleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several little drabbles written for the eighth (!) Fandot Creativity Night .</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Letter

Arthur loved letters. He loved getting letters, writing letters, and collecting them. In one of his drawers he had a sort of scrapbook filled with letters and postcards that he had gotten from people all through his life.

He had kept every card Carolyn had ever given him, all preserved neatly in the back of the book. There was a postcard that Douglas and Martin had sent him on the first page, sent when he had been ill and sad that he hadn't been able to go on a trip. It had indeed cheered him up. There were other letters, some from relatives for birthdays, some more postcards from Douglas or Martin and one bank statement that he had liked because all the numbers were nice. 

One of the ones he looked at often was from Herc, written by hand in very neat handwriting, sent shortly after they had first met complimenting him nicely on his stewarding. After that were several more from Herc, all complimentary and kind, which Arthur treasured because it helped him forget that there wasn't a single one from Gordon. 

However the one Arthur loved best was from Martin. He had missed Martin deeply ever since he had moved to Swiss Air, and though he knew it made him happy to fly big aeroplanes, Arthur couldn't help but miss him as the captain. In the letter, Martin had written four pages telling Arthur all about Liechtenstein, and the castle, and the aeroplanes, and his job. It was no surprise for Martin to have written about planes, but Arthur loved it because it almost felt like having a conversation with him, something which happened less often than he wanted. 

They often wrote letters after that, and Arthur kept each one. Every time he read them he would mumble replies as if he were talking to Martin, even though he knew what they said. He didn't care that he knew, he just liked the feeling of pretending Martin was still his captain.


	2. Non-Binary

For weeks and week Arthur had been worried about coming out as non-binary to Herc. They had come out to Martin and Douglas long ago, and had taken to wearing a bright purple 'they/them' pronouns badge on trips. For the most part, their pronouns were respected, but on the occasion that there was a horrible passenger, Carolyn would deal with it. She had threatened to throw people from the plane in the past.

But Arthur was worried about telling Herc. Carolyn didn't want to rush them, knowing that Arthur needed to do things in their own time. Even so, eventually Arthur's uncertainty made Carolyn put a plan into action, inviting Herc over and telling Arthur that they would tell him, and if he took it badly she would fillet him. 

“Are you okay, Herc?” Arthur looked at Herc, concerned. For a moment, they worried that Herc was crying in disappointment, which Arthur had almost come to expect from people, and though it would make them sad, they would understand if Herc thought they were wrong and strange, because that was often the reaction people seemed to have. 

However, Arthur was more confused when Herc nodded and smiled, tears still running down his face. He sniffled. “Yes, Arthur, I’m fine. You’re just… You’re brilliant, you know?” 

It took Arthur a moment to process what Herc had said. Herc didn’t find them wrong, and not only that, Herc found them brilliant. “So- so you’re not crying because you don’t like me?” 

Herc shook his head, looking startled that Arthur could possibly think he wouldn’t be accepting. “Absolutely not. You’re amazing, and that’s why I’m-” 

He was cut off by Arthur launching into a hug, relieved at the assurance that Herc still thought they were brilliant. With a chuckle, Herc pushed them gently away, only able to be hugged by Arthur for so long before feeling like his lungs were going to collapse. 

Arthur beamed. "Thank you, Herc." Herc shook his head, smiling. 

"There is no need to thank me, but you're welcome."


	3. Not Today

Martin wandered into the portacabin, snow dusting the top of his hat. As he shut the door, Carolyn looked up, startled to see him. "What on earth are you doing here?" 

Martin stared at Carolyn, as confused as she was. "It's- We're flying today, aren't we?" 

Shaking her head in disbelief, Carolyn said "Of course not, not today! Have you seen the weather? Didn't you get the message?"

"No." He frowned, taking out his phone to see that he had, in fact received a message to tell him the flight was cancelled. He sighed. Of course it was just his luck that he'd gone all the way to the airfield in the freezing snow, and now he had to go back to his attic, which was far less warm than Spain would have been. 

He had turned slightly to glance out of the window, so looked back at Carolyn to ask "If we aren't flying, what are you doing here?"   
She gestured at the paperwork stacked neatly on her desk. "There's almost more paperwork involved in not flying than there is in flying, and someone has to do it." 

"Could I- I mean, would you like help?" Carolyn put down her pen in surprise, then realised that if she could rope Martin into doing most of it, she would have to do less, and Martin seemed to love paperwork more than anything, so who better to help? 

"If you're staying, make two cups of tea." Knowing better than to argue, Martin put the kettle on.


	4. Stars

Herc liked to think he was quite good at helping Arthur with things, or at least doing things with Arthur, because things like baking – and one time knitting – were quite within his capabilities. But when one evening in midwinter Arthur came bounding up to him brandishing a pair of binoculars and asking if they could go stargazing, Herc realised he was almost completely out of his depth. 

He liked the stars, of course, but he had never taken the time to learn any of the constellations, or any of the big stars. He barely even knew the plough. Arthur, however, knew all of them. He knew constellations that Herc didn't even know existed. Still, that wasn't going to stop them going out and looking up.

What he found surprising was Carolyn announcing that she was going too. She explained that she and Arthur had been going out stargazing for years, ever since Arthur was young. It was one of the things Arthur had always loved, and had spent years obsessively learning where all the stars were in the sky. 

Herc was happy to be included in their family stargazing, but was less thrilled to get to the top of their stargazing hill and find it absolutely freezing. He was wrapped in three coats and was annoyingly still cold. Carolyn smirked at his shivering. Not for the first time, he wondered if she was otherworldly, because how on earth she could be wearing only one coat he would never know. 

They spent hours outside sat on the grass. Arthur sat next to Herc, pointing up and drawing lines in the air to show him where the constellations were. Carolyn watched them both, pleased at how engaged Herc seemed to be with Arthur's enthusiastic pointing. She was only disappointed that it was winter, so Hercules was out of sight, because the teasing opportunities that would have presented would have been priceless. 

Perhaps they would just have to come again in the summer.


	5. Storm

Carolyn was always sure to keep a close eye on Arthur whenever there was a storm. He wasn't exactly scared of them, but the thunder made him jump and when they were flying he always looked uncomfortable. It was easier to watch him when they were at home, because he would find Snoopadoop to make sure that she was okay, and then go and sit in his chair with her until it was gone. 

He had been worse when he was younger, running to Carolyn at the first sign of a storm and refusing to let go until it was gone. She had never minded that much, because at least if he was with her then he wasn't sat in a corner by himself, worrying. Trying to get him to come out after he'd found a hiding place to worry in could be impossible. 

What she hadn't expected was to be having to deal with a fifty-something year old pilot who was terrified of lightning. 

Carolyn had been surprised when she hadn't seen Arthur when she'd heard the low rumble of thunder. Snoopadoop was in the kitchen with her, seeming unaffected by the storm outside. Deciding to investigate, Carolyn had gone to the living room to find Arthur and Herc both sat on the sofa, Arthur hugging his legs and Herc hugging a pillow. 

Before Carolyn could say anything, lightning flashed outside. Arthur jumped a little and Herc let out a terrified yelp, clutching the pillow tightly. Carolyn sighed and shook her head. Of course Herc would be frightened of storms; he was after all scared of sheep. 

Without a word she turned around and went back to the kitchen to watch the storm, entertained by the noises of terror Herc made every time there was thunder or lightning.


	6. Comfort

Herc was the sort of person who liked the comforts of home. He liked sitting in his place with his cup of tea reading his newspaper. He liked drizzly mornings sat inside with nothing better to do than listen to the radio or read. And he loved having a family to share it with. 

Admittedly, it was far easier to get Arthur to relax and do nothing than it was to get Carolyn to do so. Arthur would happily spend all day helping Herc with the crossword, or sat in the kitchen discussing something inane over a cup of tea. They had spent many mornings sat together in their dressing gowns at the kitchen table, often Arthur chatting at Herc about whatever had caught his interest. 

Calm mornings spent with Arthur were fun, but Herc also loved the afternoons spent baking, or in the garden with Snoopadoop, or watching films, or anything. Herc didn't mind what they did, because it could never be boring to spend time with Arthur. 

However he also loved the moments he spent with Carolyn. She was far less talkative than Arthur, and far less fond of meaningless chatter, often teasing rather than chatting like Arthur. But Herc was happy to be teased if it meant he got to sit across from Carolyn at the kitchen table almost every morning. She and Arthur were more similar than they knew. Herc often noticed their similarities, seeing just how much Arthur was like his mother. 

He was lucky really that he had been accepted into their family. With all his past wives, that was one thing he had never had. And certainly they were not the most conventional family, but that didn't matter, not really. Herc wouldn't have wanted them to be conventional because they were brilliant the way that they were.


End file.
